CHANGING TIDES

Examines the phenomenon of the Cuban "balseros," those Cuban citizens who in the
summer of 1994, in response to the island's deepening economic crisis, took to the sea in
flimsy, homemade rafts in a desperate attempt to reach Florida. In a series of emotionally
moving interviews, the Cuban balseros talk about their motivations for leaving their
homeland. These heartfelt conversations, along with scenes of emotional farewells
between family members and poetry written specially for the film, illuminate with
remarkable sensitivity both the tragedy and the folly of this situation.